Arrival in Portland, Oregon!!! Time for a sale!

  I have moved from sunny, swampy Jacksonville Florida to beautiful Portland Oregon.  Such a big change!  My wife and I are very happy here in our new studios in the Pacific NorthWest.

  To celebrate my big relocation, I have decided to have a big 20% off sale on my Etsy site.

  Just use the coupon code "SAVE20OFF" at the checkout and get 20% off of anything in the store, even if it is already marked down.

Stellar Four features Me!

Last week, the blog "Stellar Four" featured some of my work on their blog.  How cool is that?

Circus of Silhouettes

   I have always liked the old carnival side show scene; the Barkers, the freak shows, the strange desire to see something you know isn't quite real, the seedy atmosphere and the darkened tents full of people wanting to see but not be seen, the tawdry attractions and poorly glimpsed weirdities.
   So here is my homage to the old time classic side show attraction.  All artwork is shown here framed and hanging on a wall.  I have formatted the art to look like it is painted on a canvas banner stretched across a tent.  Lots of weathering and distressing to give it age and a bit of "grunge" (just like the real thing.
   My Circus of Silhouettes is from right around the turn of the century, the twentieth century that is.  Vintage Americana.

This is the first one I created, the Dog Faced Man.  I imagine that he is a bit of a dandy.  

          This is my second image, the famous Two Headed sisters Tilly and Trudy (real people from 1905).  Apparently, Trudy was very shy and had to be coaxed to perform by her "sister" Tilly (her other half); hence the parasol to hide behind.

                          
                              What carnival would be complete without it's own Strong Man?  You gotta love the old waxed handlebar mustaches these guys sported.

This is one of my favorites, the Elephant Man (not the guy from the movie).  I imagine he is a gentleman here (note the pocket handkerchief and bowler hat in hand).

Every side show has it's own Fiji Mermaid.  They are never as beautiful as you think they are going to be.  If you don't believe me, look it up.  The banners would always emphasize the traditional notion of a mermaid; beautiful and seductive.  But the real "Fiji Mermaid" was a gruesome stuffed mummy that looked like half dog, half fish.  As  you can see, I went for the beautiful and seductive look here.

                   And finally, the star of the show, the glamorous and beautiful High Wire Helena!  You gotta have at least one beautiful act amongst all the freaks and oddities, its a tradition.  This is the only one of the series that is not if full profile, her face is turned more of three quarter look.  I wanted some variety and you don't always have to show everything to carry a likeness.

All are available at my Etsy Store.

New shop at Indie Fixx Galleria

  I decided to audition for a featured shop at Indie Galleria, and what do you know, I got it.  This is a blog/shop that is curated by a woman named Jen who features artists and craftspeople that she likes.  My shop will be up until mid-June here; Indie Fixx Galleria.  I am still on Etsy, this is just a second outlet for me, hopefully to drive more traffic to Barking Mad at Etsy.
  You can also get a 20% off coupon by shopping through the link at this store (see the coupon code).

Its the last week for 20% off at my Etsy store!

Don't miss out on the last week of my sale.  Save 20% off of everything, even the items already marked down.

Birdcage Woman #2 hits the blogs

TotusMel's Wunderkammer featured my new image, Birdcage woman #2 today (tuesday 3/22); TotusMel's Wunderkammer

Now for sale in my store:  Barking Mad Arts & Curiosities

"Marchmadness" sale has only 10 days left!

Don't be Late! Only 10 days left in the Barking Mad 20% off sale! Don't forget that you can even use the discount coupon on items already marked down.  Use the coupon code "marchmadness" and save on everything in my store.

Featured Artist for Curiosites Esthetiques

  A blog by two sisters reporting from California and France about dark fashion and anything cute and spooky called Curiosites Esthetiques has featured me as a silhouette artist.  A pretty good article and some images of my work.  Check it out.

Margopage blog features ME!

I am featured as this week's artist on the blog, Margopage's blog.  It is a nice interview that tells a little bit about me and what inspires me.  Check it out.

Tea Dreams I & II

  Here are my two latest creations.  I did these the old fashioned way, with paper and scissors.  It took me forever!  I thought my hand would cramp up from all the little cuts and holding the scissors so tightly.
  Last time I was in China, I visited a shop that specialized in paper cutting silhouettes and by watching the "seifu" (master), I learned a lot about how it was done.  So using these traditional "Chinese" techniques I created these two new silhouettes.  I wanted to keep a slight asian feel to the design, so I used both cherry blossoms and roses (both traditional motifs), along with song birds on one and butterflies on another.  The teapots are of course, western style.
  Since I am so obsessed with drinking tea, and everything else about it, I decided to revisit this theme in my art again.  The original tea silhouettes ( Tea Silhouettes ) are very popular on my Etsy site, so it seemed like a good time to expand the motif as well.
                      
                     Here's the first one.  These are traditional cherry blossom silhouettes.

                    Here's the second one.  I had fun hiding all the butterflies in the silhouette.  Can you find them all?  There are 5.

Both are for sale on my Etsy site now as prints on 8.5"x 11" paper ( Tea Dreams I ).  They look gorgeous!  I am thinking of making greeting cards out of them.  What do you think?

fan appreciation photo- Twisted Silhouettes

  Kudos to Rachel Metcalf, who framed a set of the "Twisted Silhouettes" (or as I refer to them, as my "ex-girlfriends"), in these really cool frames.

  Thanx so much Rachel!

Featured in a French/English blog, "Curious Esthetiques"

My Clockwork Boy & Clockwork Girl were recently featured in a French & English Blog about Steampunk called, "Curious Esthetiques".  http://www.curiositesesthetiques.com/

20% off SALE in my Etsy store!!!

I am running a month long sale at my Etsy store.  Use the coupon code "marchmadness" and you will automatically get 20% off your entire purchase.  Tell your friends!

ciao,
Milo

Little Birdies on Her Mind

 Here is my latest creation, the "Birdcage Woman".  I couldn't think of a better name, sorry.  I had this vision of a woman wearing a birdcage in her hair with birds flying in and out of the cage.  I made a sketch a few months ago and I never really knew how to finish it, until a few days ago when it came to me.  The key was adding the branch that burst out through the cage and really added to the composition.  I added a few more little cages and some birds and Voila'!  The paper background is an old lace napkin that I scanned a while ago and changed the colors to make it tonally green.
 What do you think?  If I get a good response, I will make a matching silhouette facing the other way and offer them as a set.

Available at my shop; Barking Mad Arts & Curiosities

Some more Steampunk silhouettes

  I am back from vacation and finally starting to get over this cold I seemed to have picked up somewhere in California.  All I can say is; "never go to wine country with a head cold"!  It really puts a damper on how much you can drink.  Which is, really, the point of going to Napa and Sonoma.
  So it is time to start posting some new ideas and some more artwork.  Here are some old silhouette ideas that I have pulled out of my files to work on.  I will try and make something out of these images for my Etsy shop, Barking Mad Arts & Curiosities.  The ideas are a little rough here, and need some embellishing I think.  Let me know what you think.

This first is called "Tinkering".  I put a hidden face in the robot's body to make it a little silly.

This one is called "Tea & a Bath".  It seemed like a very civilized way to enjoy a comfortable bath with a friend and a nice cup of tea.

This last one is an "Air Pirate Scout".  I had to put the horse head on the front, it just seemed like he would want some kind of decoration.  Also, this is an early experiment in using eyes in my silhouettes.  It adds a little character and helps focus their attention, but it may be a bit too much.

Vacation!

I am off to sunny California tomorrow for a driving vacation.  I will fly to San Diego and then drive all the way up to Calistoga, visiting family, friends in L.A., seeing the PCH coast line, Hurst Castle, Monterey Bay, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Napa.  I should be back around the first of February.   See you all then.

Ciao,
Milo

The "Vicflorians" are here!

  A while back, I started a series of manipulated images from the 19th century.  I have been collecting Victorian cabinet cards for a while, and I wanted to use them in a different way in my work.  Many artists have used the old photos and inserted animal heads over the old people heads (including myself).  But I felt there was something richer and more interesting I could do.  I wanted to have rich colors and floral patterns as well, and many of my old cards were from Hong Kong or Japan.
  So I came up with the "Vicflorians".  A new way of looking at old portrait photography.  The flowers are more ambiguous than using animal heads; you can read anything into them, and they seem less kitchy.
  I made a larger series of these and mounted many of them onto cut cardboard to look like the original cabinet cards.  They sold well at a few art shows, so I decided to make prints and sell them in my Etsy store.

  It always helps me to try and come up with a story or a background for my characters; it gives me a context and often leads to a better illustration, so here is a little bit about the Vicflorians.

  In my mind, they are a silent and well mannered race of beings.  Although they are quite formal, with impeccable manners, they can be very warm and outgoing.  Of course, they are lovers of tea, and love to picnic outdoors.  Vicflorians are fond of floral patterns and rich colors.  Their skins are quite fragile and as a consequence, they tend to wear a lot of cloths to cover up their delicate skins.  It is not uncommon to see Vicflorian women covered from the neck on down; gloves, long skirts and carrying parasols to protect them from the bright sun.  Vicflorian women are very fashionable, and are always dressed in the height of fashion.  The women are very fond of little beetles that they carry around as pets.  The beetles are usually large horned beetles or other bright, jewel toned insects.  They keep them on little gold or silver leashes (they are quite tame and gentle).

  Here are some of the new prints available now in my Etsy store.  There are also two more images in this series, the Flower Geishas, listed earlier in my blog.

                         This first gentleman is wearing a dapper outfit with a waistcoat and ascot.

                 This lovely young woman is dressed for a walk in the park.  Note her little pet horned beetle on the golden leash.

                                            Here is a gentleman dressed in his parson's outfit.

               This is one of my favorites.  I found this old photo while exploring some of the old antique stores of Hong Kong.  I love the pink and lime green backdrop; a very traditional Chinese color combination that works really well with her wonderful silk robes.

All are available for sell in my Etsy shop; http://www.etsy.com/shop/BarkingMadArts

I would love to hear what people think.  Please drop me a comment.

Victorian Psycho Killers

   For those of you who enjoy Sweeney Todd, Jack the Ripper, or Professor Moriarty, this might be just your cup of tea.  Using old cabinet cards, I have created the "Victorian Psycho Killers".  Hurrah!
    
This first one is Professor Sebaceous, "Let's have a drink, shall we?"  I love the poison green of his eyes.

This next one is the good Reverend Slicer, "Let us pray..." He believes in the authority of the Word (his).

                                     This fine woman is Madame Ripgutt, "Here Kitty, Kitty..."

             This striking young woman is known as Miss Shearing, "Would you like a close shave?"

                                   And finally, this lad is young master Quietus, "Want to play?"

  I am not sure if these would sell very well in my Etsy store.  They do seem to do fairly well at outdoor art fairs, and I do have really interesting conversations with the people who buy them.  What do you think?